Recognition for Longford’s rising sporting stars as they share €10,000 bursary
Longford County Council Sports Bursary 2024 recipients announced
The Longford County Council Sports Bursary 2024 recipients were revealed during an event in Aras an Chontae on Friday, May 17.
This bursary recognises the achievements of sportspeople who have the ability and potential to achieve success at a national and an international level.
Recipients share in a bursary of €10,000, which will be used to help them in their sporting career.
Longford County Council Cathaoirleach Cllr Colm Murray paid tribute to all awardees. “It is great to see so much local sporting talent getting recognised here this evening. You are all rising sports stars, with great promise for the future. I look forward to seeing how your careers progress as I have no doubt you will see more sporting successes when proudly representing both your county and country.”
Longford County Council Chief Executive Paddy Mahon added, “I congratulate all recipients of the Longford County Council Sports Bursary. Through Longford Sports Partnership, the Council works to develop local sports people so that they can be given the best chance to see achievement at the highest level. Longford County Council is delighted to award these bursaries to support local sportspeople.”
THE RECIPIENTS
Adeyemi Talabi
Adeyemi Talabi is a sprinter and long jumper from Edgeworthstown. Ranked the 7th fastest Irish women of all time over 100m, she has represented Ireland at many international events. She was part of the Irish senior women’s 4x100m relay team at the most recent World Athletics Championships in 2022. In 2018, she was an All-Ireland Schools long jump junior girls champion, having broken the championship record and set the Connacht senior record.
Cian McPhillips
Cian McPhillips is a middle-distance athlete from Ardagh. Cian is the current national senior indoor 800m champion. Recently, he broke the Irish Under-23 1000m record, which stood for 35 years. In 2021, Cian set a new Irish under-20 800m record of 1:46.13 to qualify for the European Senior Indoor Championships in Poland. In 2021 also, Cian won gold in the 1500m at the European under-20 championships in Estonia.
Darragh Greene
Darragh Greene is a swimmer from Newtownforbes. He was the first Irish man to swim the 100m breaststroke in under 60 seconds. He holds Irish senior records in the 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke. Darragh represented Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics. He made the 50m breaststroke semi-final at the 2019 World Championships. He has also represented Ireland at European Championships and the 2019 European Short Course Championships.
Jakub Pasieczny
Jakub Pasieczny is a basketball player from Longford Town. Jakub has recently been called up to trials for the Irish under-20s basketball team. He has been a member of the Irish under-18s basketball team and also plays with Longford Phoenix Basketball Club.
Ashley Weafer
Ashley Weafer is a swimmer from Drumlish. Ashley has been called up to the National Performance Programme, having previously been a Connacht Regional Performance Programme member. Ashley placed first in the 200m freestyle, second in the 100m freestyle and third in the 50m freestyle at the Irish Youth and Senior Summer Nationals in 2023. Ashley was a National Youth Freestyle champion in 2023 and National Community Games winner in 2022.
Jake Bermingham
Jake Bermingham is a freestyle kayaker from Colehill. Jake placed joint third in Irish Freestyle Team Trials 2024 and will represent Ireland at European Championship in Austria this August. Jake recently won three bronze medals for freestyle kayaking at the Southeast Kayaking Fest. He has also been a Junior Liffey Descent under-15 winner.
Joe Shannon
Joe Shannon is a snooker player from Kilmore. Joe is currently ranked number one in Ireland at under-14, under-16, and under-18 levels.
Joe has qualified for 2024 European Championships in Bosnia, having previously represented Ireland at European Championship in Malta in 2023.
Joe has won 13 national titles since 2021 and has captained the Irish under-16 team at various competitions since 2023.
Nelvin Appiah
Nelvin Appiah is a multi-discipline athlete from Longford Town. Nelvin was part of the Irish 4x400m relay team that won gold at the European Games in 2023. Nelvin had previously been the youngest member on the Irish European Games team where he competed in the high jump.
Nelvin is a multiple National Senior Championships medal winner. Nelvin is ranked in the top ten for several events on the Irish all-time rankings list.
MAIN PHOTO CAPTION: Front row l to r; Cllr Gerry Warnock; Cllr Peggy Nolan; Ashley Weafer; Cathaoirleach Cllr Colm Murray; Joe Shannon; Cllr Uruemu Adejinmi and Cllr Garry Murtagh. Back; Senator Micheál Carrigy; Paddy McPhillips on behalf of Cian McPhillips; Chief Executive Paddy Mahon; Olia Talabi, on behalf of Adeyemi Talabi; Jake Bermingham; Longford Sports Partnership Chairperson Tony Headon; Acting Sports Coordinator Donal Mulligan; Cllr Colin Dalton and Cllr Turlough McGovern Picture: Shelley Corcoran